Indeed, just as
If not for this, the four patriarchs would never have appeared before mortal martial artists, let alone addressed them.
Patriarch Zhuiyang personally took charge, personally announcing the rules.
"This grand selection—I'm sure you've all heard certain rumors. Let me emphasize the rules here. The grand selection is divided into three stages. The first stage is the preliminary selection. After passing the preliminary, you will join the sect disciples in a three-year secondary competition. Once the three-year secondary competition concludes, the strongest sixty-four will be chosen for the final stage. This final will determine the strongest sixteen. And these sixteen will be evenly distributed among the four great sects, receiving personal guidance from us four Origin Realm old monsters. To put it plainly—they will become our direct disciples, or even true disciples!"
Direct disciples were those personally taught by a patriarch.
True disciples, building upon that foundation, were those who might inherit a patriarch's legacy—a tier above direct disciples.
This grand selection, with its three stages, was remarkably clear-cut.
The first stage, the preliminary selection, would pick approximately ten thousand outstanding individuals from four hundred thousand.
Those ten thousand would enter the second stage—the secondary competition—alongside sect disciples.
The secondary competition was the second stage, spanning the longest duration: a full three years.
Those three years were not merely a competition but also a cultivation period. Whoever possessed stronger talent and greater power would face brutal competition during this phase.
From this stage, sixty-four exceptional individuals would be chosen.
Those sixty-four would enter the final third stage to determine the strongest sixteen.
These sixteen were destined to be the ultimate winners.
Of course, most martial artists present lacked the ambition to contend for those final sixteen spots.
They didn't believe their strength could rival the top sect geniuses.
However, with three thousand spots available to enter the sects, it was certainly worth fighting for.
That was the more reasonable goal.
"Remember, this grand selection takes an all-around approach. Your martial talent may not be the most outstanding, but as long as you demonstrate exceptional ability in other areas, you could still enter a sect. Moreover, if your talent is particularly remarkable, there's even hope of receiving special attention. The four of us have set a quota of four direct disciples each. But if you possess extraordinary talent in other fields, we will open the back door for you. Of course, the prerequisite is that your talent must be impressive enough to catch our eye."
"For example, if your pill-refining talent is unbelievably strong; for example, if you possess a once-in-a-century gift for beast taming; for example, if you excel at crafting talismans, constructing mechanisms, or comprehending formation arts—as long as you stand out in any one of these areas, you'll have a chance to enter a sect."
Patriarch Zhuiyang revealed as much information as he could. At this point, he deliberately paused, clearly giving the audience time to digest the information and allowing everyone ample opportunity to analyze their own aptitudes.
"So even if your martial talent falls short, as long as you excel elsewhere, you still have a chance?"
"Tsk, tsk—my teacher says I'm naturally sensitive to formations. Maybe I'm a formation arts genius!"
"Yeah, right, keep dreaming. Formations aren't that easy. But me? I've always had a special ability to communicate with spirit beasts, a natural affinity. Maybe I'll end up as a
The Myriad Spirit Sect was the one among the four great sects that excelled at commanding and taming spirit beasts. Nearly all their disciples possessed this ability.
Therefore, fighting a Myriad Spirit Sect disciple meant not only battling them personally but also dealing with their contracted spirit beasts.
It was entirely possible that some of the more terrifying Myriad Spirit Sect disciples had contracted spirit beasts even stronger than their masters.
"Heh heh, wonderful—this is absolutely wonderful! My alchemy talent has never found an outlet to shine. This is definitely my chance! My goal is the Treasure Tree Sect!"
The Treasure Tree Sect was, among the four great sects, the undisputed leader in alchemy. Young people with talent in pills almost universally set their sights on the Treasure Tree Sect.
"Hmph, these daydreaming fools. The martial world naturally places martial cultivation above all. When your martial talent is lacking, trying to use side paths as stepping stones—even if you enter a sect, so what? You'd only end up as someone else's servant. Only martial cultivation endures forever; the fist reigns supreme! In this life, I will focus solely on the martial path. I will rely on the sword in my hand to enter the
This was naturally a young person devoted entirely to martial arts.
And when it came to martial atmosphere and martial heritage, the Purple Sun Sect was undoubtedly the strongest among the four great sects—the undisputed leader.
As for the remaining Flowing Cloud Sect, in terms of alchemy it couldn't compare to the Treasure Tree Sect; in martial heritage it fell short of the Purple Sun Sect; in beast taming it naturally couldn't match the Myriad Spirit Sect.
However, the Flowing Cloud Sect possessed one capability that no one else could match—the ability to discover geniuses.
The Flowing Cloud Sect had a set of methods particularly skilled at uncovering undiscovered talents from the masses, at sifting gold from sand.
This unique capability meant the Flowing Cloud Sect consistently unearthed countless geniuses. This special talent, combined with the sect's overall respectable heritage, ensured the Flowing Cloud Sect stood as no less formidable than the other three—fully capable of holding its own.
Every martial artist naturally had a preferred sect.
Some favored the Purple Sun Sect with its flourishing martial tradition, some favored the Treasure Tree Sect with its supreme alchemy, some favored the Myriad Spirit Sect with its unmatched beast taming, and naturally, some hoped their unique talents would be discovered by the Flowing Cloud Sect.